The Good Soldier

Ford Madox Ford

Apr 2007 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

The Dowells, a wealthy American couple, have been close friends with the Ashburnhams for years. Edward Ashburnham, a first-rate soldier, seems to be the perfect English gentleman, and Leonora his perfect wife, but beneath the surface their marriage seethes with unhappiness and deception. Our only window on the strange tangle of events surrounding Edward is provided by John Dowell, the husband he deceives. Gradually Dowell unfolds a devastating story, in which everyone’s honesty is in doubt. This extraordinary novel of passion and betrayal is a masterpiece of narrative skill and emotional depth.

Ratings and reviews

What a shame that more people don't understand this book, probably because it's non linear. We really need to improve public education. This is one of my favorite books and re- reading it is always a pleasure. It's so simple. Appearances are important and false with undercurrents of deceit, foolishness, vehement emotion, loss, and madness. Beautifully written, as usual, from Ford Maddox Ford.

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About the author

Ford Madox Ford was born Ford Hermann Hueffer in Kent in 1873. In 1915 he published The Good Soldier, and in the same year he enlisted in the army, serving as an infantry officer. Parade's End, the culmination of his experiences during the First World War, was published in four parts between 1924 and 1928. He moved to Paris in 1922 and founded the Transatlantic Review, whose contributors included James Joyce, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. He died in Deauville, France in 1939.